Tea Leaves
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: Parvati had always been good at Divination. When she stared into her cup of tea leaves, it left her feeling fearful for the future in a way she never had before. Warnings - Brief Mentions of Drug Abuse and Character Death.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

**Written for the Hunger Games Competition using the prompts - Emotion, Dialogue, Pairing, Weapon, Genre and Subject.**

**Written for the Disney Character Competition - Anastasia and Drizella (Lavender Brown) Prompt - Swirls**

**Tea Leaves**

Parvati had always been good at divination. It was her favourite class, and it was effortless for her. The crystal ball played movies for her, the tea leaves arranged themselves just so, the planets aligned just for her. She was confident in her future, the future she knew was meant for her, and she was pleased with the prospects she had foreseen.

Lavender was her rock. Her star. Her sun. Parvati had almost lost her, first to the war, to Greyback, and then to Lavender's own insecurities. The werewolf hadn't changed her, but he had left her perfect skin marred with scars of a long fought battle. It had taken Lavender months to even look in a mirror again. It had taken her years to be at ease with what she saw there.

Now, four years after after the battle, and two years after admitting their love to one another, Parvati and Lavender were happy. If Parvati had checked the crystal ball lately, she would have seen in the swirls of the smoke that it wasn't going to be plain sailing.

xxx

"Are you ready?" Parvati asked, checking her lipstick in the mirror.

"Yes," Lavender replied, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. The snow was falling outside, and while Lavender loved watching the snowflakes, she despised being cold.

Parvati wrapped her arm around Lavender's shoulders and led her outside, just outside the gates where the wards ended, and apparated her away to Diagon Alley.

They appeared at the apparition point in front of the Leaky Cauldron, moving out of the way so as not to block it for anyone else apparating in. Lavender stared at the pub, a shiver running through her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Can you believe it's been four years?" she said, her voice a little more than a whisper. Parvati tightened the her hold, squeezing lightly in comfort.

"I know. But we're still here, still living," she replied lightly.

Both took a deep breath before they entered the building. Lavender allowed Parvati to remove the cloak, hanging it up. They were greeted by friends they hadn't seen since May, since the memorial ball at the Ministry, and the air was filled with festive cheer and laughter.

The Christmas Party for the survivors had been started the year the battle took place. For many, it was a reunion, a night to have fun with friends from school, a night to enjoy. For others, it was to remember those who had died.

Lavender smiled when Parvati handed her a drink. Her eyes had already scanned those assembled, glad to find he wasn't there. That would have been too much drama, and it would have fetched memories that she had long since buried, memories she didn't want to remember. She felt the tension in her lesson as she smiled and waved at people she knew, and before long, she and Parvati were enveloped in a conversation with friends.

xxx

The night was drawing to a close, Lavender had secured her cloak, they were saying goodbye. Dean, she had wondered briefly, why he wasn't there, burst through the doors, silencing the room. Wands were drawn before the thought even crossed Lavenders mind, and she had a renewed respect for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, who were stood tensed, waiting for whatever was about to happen, their wands gripped tightly in their hands.

"Seamus is dead," Dean cried, falling to his knees. The mood, as festive and happy as it had been, changed to mournful, mixed with confusion, as though someone had flicked a switch.

"What happened?" It was Hermione who asked, helping Dean to his feet, and into a chair. Harry was handing him a glass of firewhisky, and others, were just waiting for the answer.

"Overdose," Dean replied hollowly, taking the firewhisky with a nod of thanks. "I... I tried to help him, you know. I tried to make him go to St Mungos, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't let me help. He didn't want help."

Lavender felt a tear slip onto her cheek, even as she felt Parvati pull her close, burying her face in the familiar chest. Memories threatened to overwhelm her, as they exploded at the front of her minds eye.

xxx

_Lavender lay in bed, staring at the pristine white walls of the hospital wing. She was one of the few left in Madam Pomfrey's care. Parvati, her best friend, the only person she had allowed to visit her, was visiting with her sister who was leaving the school to go home, leaving Lavender to her thoughts._

_She startled when the door opened, turning her head as far as her wounds allowed her, to see who had entered._

_Seamus. Lavender didn't want him to see her like this. She couldn't deal with the pity that was sure to appear in his eyes._

_"Lavender," he said quietly, standing beside her bed. He tried to take her hand, but she flinched away. "Lavender, what's wrong?"_

_She scoffed at him, glaring at him for daring to ask such a stupid question._

_"Are you in pain? Can I get you anything? What do you need?" he asked, and she could see love shining at her from his eyes, and she hated him for it._

_"Yes, I'm in pain, no, you can't get me anything, and I need you to leave me the hell alone," she snarled._

_"Lav, I don't understand. I love -"_

_She cut him off with a harsh laugh, void of any humour. "You don't love me. No one can love me."_

_"I do," He insisted, trying to take her hand again._

_"Well, I don't love you," she replied, snatching her hand away. "I hate you. I wish you had died!"_

_She watched as the words penetrated him, like a bow and arrow to his heart, and she wished she could take the words back. His eyes glazed over, empty, unseeing._

_"Seamus," she started, wanting to apologise, not knowing how._

_"I understand," he said, his words void of anything. "I'll not bother you again."_

_"Seamus, wait," she said, watching as he left the room, bumping into Parvati as he did._

_"What's wrong," Parvati asked, concern lacing her question as she watched tears drip from Lavenders eyes into the wounds on her face._

_"I just, I just... " Lavender couldn't get the words out. "I killed him."_

_"Oh, no, Lav, I'm sure you didn't. He'll be alright, I'm sure he will," Parvati said, wrapping her arms around Lavender._

_Lavender shook her head. "He is going to die, and it is entirely my fault."_

_As Parvati comforted her, whispering words of assurance, Lavender knew without a doubt that she was right. Parvati may have been the more skilled of the two of them at Divination, but Lavender knew her instincts were good._

xxx

Parvati tucked Lavender into bed, kissing her forehead lightly. "I'll join you soon," she whispered.

Lavender nodded tiredly, worn out from the tears she had shed. Parvati left the bedroom, quickly making her way to the kitchen where she made herself a cup of tea. She drank it as soon as it was cool enough not to scold her, and swirled the dregs around.

When she joined Lavender twenty minutes later, Parvati felt cold. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, seeking the comfort she had offered Lavender earlier.

Looking in the cup had scared her more than she cared to admit.

She'd seen nothing.


End file.
